Nets falter late in overtime loss to Pelicans

Deron Williams tallied 23 points in the losing effort to the Pelicans.(AP)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Tyreke Evans scored a season-high 33 points and the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans rallied from 22 down in the third quarter, beating the Brooklyn Nets 109-104 in overtime Monday night.

Evans scored 14 as New Orleans closed the third period on a 29-10 run to get back in the game. Anthony Morrow, who did not score until the final 2 minutes of regulation, had 11 points the rest of the way as the Pelicans completed their comeback.

Morrow hit a 3-pointer to give New Orleans a 106-100 lead in overtime and all but sealed the victory with another 3 that made it 109-102 with 54.5 seconds left.

Anthony Davis added 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Pelicans, who matched their season best with a three-game winning streak despite playing without Eric Gordon (left knee tendinitis) for the second consecutive game.

Paul Pierce had 24 points and Deron Williams 23 for the Nets, who lost for the first time in five games after winning at Dallas in overtime Sunday. Brooklyn fell behind 98-93 with 1:14 left in regulation but scored the next five points to force overtime.

This one appeared over when the Nets went up 66-44 early in the third quarter, but the Pelicans completed their largest comeback of the season and the second-biggest in franchise history.

Brian Roberts started the rally with a 3-pointer, Evans scored New Orleans' next eight points and Alex Ajinca had back-to-back dunks to make it 67-59.

Williams and Joe Johnson hit consecutive 3s as the Nets went back up 74-61, but the Pelicans closed with a 12-2 spurt that started when Pierce was given a technical foul for confronting Ajinca after Ajinca was called for an offensive foul with a high elbow.

Evans converted a four-point play with 1.1 seconds left, hitting a 3 while being fouled to cut the deficit to 76-73 entering the fourth.

New Orleans pulled to 76-75 on Evans' layup in the fourth, but Williams sank a 3 and Mirza Teletovic converted a three-point play as Brooklyn increased its lead to 84-75.

A little later, the Pelicans held Brooklyn without a point for more than 4 minutes as they rallied to take their first lead since early in the first quarter, 91-89, on Evans' driving layup.

Then it was Brooklyn's turn to come back. With the Nets trailing 98-93, Mason Plumlee dunked after the Nets grabbed two offensive rebounds, and Pierce drained a contested 3-pointer with 24.1 seconds left to tie the score at 98.

Morrow missed a contested 3 at the regulation buzzer, but did not miss in overtime.

The Nets, who led the Pelicans 51-28 at halftime of their first meeting in February, raced to a 58-42 advantage at the break this time.

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NOTES: The Pelicans are 5-0 in overtime. . Brooklyn went 10 of 40 on 3-pointers, 4 of 23 after halftime. . Andre Kirilenko did not play for the Nets after spraining his left ankle against Dallas on Sunday. He already had missed 26 games with back spasms, three with a calf strain and two with a sprained right ankle. ... Pierce is in his 16th NBA season, matching the combined years in the league for the Pelicans' five starters.